Tea Party Statement on VIA Plan

It appears VIA leaders haven’t followed their own process and rules, and they’re proceeding with an agenda that seems to be without public input or without a proper feasibility study. The people should be given a recommendation by VIA commission, and then the people should decide if they want to buy it. The people should not be told “this is good for you, buy it”. That sounds like the Obamacare approach to governing.

VIA should 1) stop the entire process, 2) reappoint a chair and co-chair of the commission, 3) wait for the study before they make a recommendation, and 4) the recommendation should be present to the people for their decision if they want accept it or not.

The San Antonio Tea Party is very concerned about the resignations of Marty Wender and Mike Novak submitted on Monday August 15.

It appears VIA’s short-term plans which were recently presented before the County Commissioners did not come from a VIA commission recommendation, nor was the commission consulted before VIA officials decided to publicly pursue this version of the plan. These plans by VIA include plans to build an east-west streetcar route that mainly runs along Houston and Nueva Streets before constructing a line that runs north and south.

The SA Tea Party is concerned that VIA is not following its own internal process, but rather seems to be following the private and personal agenda of a few people. We are also concerned by the comment in the Express/News by County Judge Nelson Woff stating that he doesn’t need somebody to tell him whether the plan is good or bad. “I think it’s a very good plan” he says. As an elected official and public servant, he should follow the rules and processes laid out as an example to all the county community.

We strongly suggest that VIA stop their agenda and appoint and new commission which includes private citizens that can consider and review this and any other plan. We also ask the County Commission, as elected officials and public servants, to hear the citizens of the county before they proceed with any projects that cost public money.